Spring Time Bud Break

Inside the lab I am still soaking corks and doing paperwork, but outside there is a lot of activity.

I took this picture back in February, when pruning was in full swing.  Depending on the year and the place, pruning can vary, but in the Napa Valley most places start by January and end in March.

The excess wood (brush) is collected into piles, chopped up, and put back in the vineyard or taken away.  The vines have been dormant up to this point, but soon it will be spring and they will start to bloom.

In addition to spring, April bring frost dangers.

Last week we had our first night of frost protection.  When the temperature dip to 32F (or below), our vineyard manager has to get up (usually at 1am) to turn on the fans.  All over the valley we have giant fans for frost protection.  During the night the cool air settles on the ground and can damage the emerging buds.  Frost is not a concern in January and February (when it is colder) because the vines are dormant.  The fans run very early in the morning to circulate the stagnant cold air.  Driving to work at 6am when the fans are running make me feel like I'm in a helicopter chase in an action movie.  

This is a guyot vine.  The buds on these vines tend to push later than cordon trained vines.  You can see a little bit of swelling (the first stage), and some buds are in the second stage called popcorn, but they still look like dormant vines.

These are cordon vines on the same day as the guyot, yet every bud has pushed.  These buds are past the first and second stages. When at least 50% of the buds have pushed we call this stage "Bud Break".

This is a well developed bud at this stage.

 And this guys is an over achiever.

-L